Key holder



March 6, 1962 R. c. BOWEN KEY HOLDER Filed Aug. 29, 1958 INVENTOR. v ROBERT C. BOWEN 3,023,603 KEY HOLDER v Robert C. Bowen, 2355 Orchard St., Muskegon, M1ch., assignor of one-half to Kenneth L. Lane, Muskegon, Mich.

Filed Aug. 29, 1958, Ser. No. 758,020 2 Claims. (Cl. 70456) This invention relates to a key holder case, in general, and more particularly to a key case including means for ejecting a key from the case for ready use.

Numerous different key cases are known. Some of these include means of holding a key in a biased position in the key case and later causing the key to be ejected from the case for use. Although key holder and ejector cases are known they have generally proven too expensive to manufacture and assemble, too clumsy and awkward to operate, or subject to failure and therefore not acceptable to the general public.

It is an object of this invention to disclose an improved key holder case having means for selectively ejecting keys from the case so that they are readily accessible for use.

Another object of this invention is to disclose a simplified means of biasing latch keys for quick ejection from a key case.

It is also an object of this invention to disclose an ejector for latch keys which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and install, and is trouble free in operation.

Still another object of this invention is to disclose a simplified form of key case construction wherein a plurality of separate plates of identical peripheral contour are secured together in parallel spaced relation to provide key receptive spaces therebetween.

A further object of this invention is to disclose a simplified key ejector particularly well adapted for use with the key case construction of this invention.

These and other objects and advantages in the practice of this invention will be more apparent in the illustration and description of a working embodiment of the invention, as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the key case of this invention having parts cut away, in progression, to better illustrate its construction.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the key case.

FIG. 3 is a perspective View of one of the spring wire ejectors.

The key holder and ejector case of this invention includes a plurality of wall forming plates secured together and in parallel spaced relation to provide key receptive spaces therebetween. The wall forming plates are each reversely symmetrical and together form a key case which will receive keys in a nested arrangement. The case is further formed to include a thumb or finger receptive cutout near where the enlarged end of a key is pivotally mounted in the key case. The shank of the key is engaged by biasing means and the cutout enables forcing the key into the case against the resistance of the biasing means. A thumb or finger slide is used to hold the key in a loaded position within the key case by holding the key shank in engagement with the biasing means. When the slide is released the key is ejected from the key holder case.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the key holder case 10 is shown to include a plurality of wall forming plates, identified by numerals 11 through 15. These plates all have the same peripheral outline or contour. Accordingly, reference numerals will be used as in the description of a single one of the plate members, though it is to be understood that each plate includes the same general features. Further, the key case and accordingly the United States Patent F 3,023,603 Patented Mar. 6, 1962 plates of which it is comprised, will be described as laying flat so that the edges are either side edges or ends without requiring qualification as to top or bottom.

The plates 11-15 have a reverse symmetry such as enables keys to be pivotally mounted at each end of the plates and be received within opposite side edges thereof. The reversed symmetrical form of the case is thus both functional and pleasing in appearance.

A projection 20 is formed at each end of each of the plates 11-15. A hole 21 is formed centrally through the projections 20 to receive a key retaining fastener 22. Another hole 23 is formed through opposite corners of each plate to receive a retainer 24 for the key ejector means 25. The plates 11-15 are also formed with a thumb or finger receptive cutout portion 26 at the other corners.

The wall forming plates 11-15 may be of any suitable material. It is preferable to use a thin walled material of lightweight and of a durable nature; such as of aluminum, plastic or the like. It has been found most advantageous to have the outer walls 11 and 15 of a plastic material, which can include some ornamentation and color, while the inner walls 12, 13 and 14 are of thin walled stamped aluminum.

The inner wall plates 12, 13 and 14 are disposed in parallel spaced relation to each other to provide the key receptive spaces 30 and 31. The plates are held in spaced relation by spacers 32 received on one of the key or ejector retainers, 22 or 24. These retainers are commonly known telescoping threaded fasteners commonly used on leather key cases. In the present instance the spacers 32 are on the shank of the ejector retainer 24.

The key ejector 25 is a simple formed spring wire member, shown by FIG. 3. It includes a part 40 that is closely coiled to be easily received within the key receptive spaces 30 and 31 on.one of the spacers 32. One end 41 of the ejector spring is formed for engagement within a slot 42 formed in the peripheral edge of the plates 12-14. The other end 43 is disposed to extend within the key receptive spaces 30 and 31. The extended end 43 of the spring wire member is bent back on itself in the plane of the edge of the key shank it will engage, as shown by FIG. 3. This provides a larger surface area 44 to engage the key shank and prevent the ejector spring from slipping past the key. The far end, or bight, 45 of the spring wire member is also formed to dispose the surface area for better engagement with the key shank.

Latch keys 50 are readily received within the key receptive spaces 30 and 31 with their enlarged ends 51 engaged on the key fasteners or retainers 22. The flat edge of the key shank 52 is disposed for engagement by the end of the ejector spring '25. The unbiased engagement of a key 50 with an ejector spring 25 will normally leave a part of the key exposed within the cutout 26 of the key case. By using ones thumb or finger to depress the exposed part of the key, against the effort of the ejector spring 25, the key is fully received within the key space and in a loaded condition.

Thumb or finger operated slides 60 are mounted on the side edges of the key case 10 and have detents 61 which extend within the key receptive spaces 30 and 31 for engagement with the key edge of the latch keys 50. The detents 61 have arcuate cam surfaces facing in the direction of movement of the slides when they are moved to key latching position. The cam surfaces of the detent 61 make it easy to force the key shank against the bias of the springs. The plates 12-14 are formed to include guide slots 62 near their side edges. The slides 60 have a guide pin 63 extended through the detents 61 and received in engagement with the guide slots 62. The guide slots 62 extend towards the ends of the key case'sufficiently to enable locking engagement of detents 61 with the 3 keys 50. The slides for each of the key spaces 30 and 31 (and on each side of the key case) are Separately operable to release and hold different latch keys.

The outer key holder plates 11 and 15 do not include the guide slots 62 for the slides 60, nor the peripheral slots 42 for locating the ejector springs 25. Accordingly they serve to obscure these features as well as to protect the slots from being inadvertently obstructed.

Assembly The key case 10, shown by the drawings, will accommodate'four'latch keys. A key case for more or less keys is easily provided by adding another divider wall, suitable spacers and ejector springs or by removing one of the walls 12-14, its spacers, and ejector springs.

The key case is assembled by having the face plate 15 and an inner wall plate 14 arranged together and with the stud ends of fasteners 24 disposed through the holes 23. Spacers 32 are placed on the retainers 24. The coiled part 40 of an ejector spring 25 is received over each spacer. The short end 41 of the wire springs is engaged in slot 42 of plate 14. The other space defining walls 13and-12, their spacersSZ, and ejector springs 25, are assembled in the same order. The outer face plate 11 islast' assembled and the threaded part of fasteners 24 is used to hold the parts assembled.

Latch keys 50 may be added, or changed, by merely removing the telescoping threaded fasteners 22 and inserting the head of a key within one of the key spaces 31 and 32, so that the fastener holds it pivotally engaged. The rest of the assembly is not disturbed in the changing of latch keys. Only changing the capacity of the key case requires diassembly of the structure.

Operation A latch key 50 is received in the key case within one of the key receiving spaces 30 or 31. By pressing down on the part of the key exposed in the thumb cutout portion- 26, the key shank 52 is moved into the key space against the force of the biasing spring wire member 25. The thumb slide 60 is pulled over so that its detent portion 61 engages the key surface of the key shank 52. This locks the key in a spring loaded condition within the key case;

To eject a key 50 from the case 10, the slide 60, for the chosen key, is moved so that its detent 61 is disengaged from the key. As the detent slides over the end of the key shank 52,- the ejector spring 25 snaps the key into an ejected position.

When the key 50 is flipped out of the case 10, the ejector spring 25 will not protrude from the case. The engagement of the short end 41 of the ejector spring 25 within the slot 42 serves to bothset: and limit the unbiased position of the spring end-43.

While a preferred embodiment of this invention has been described, it will be understoodthat other modifications and improvementsmay be made thereto. Such of these modifications and improvements as incorporate the principles of this invention are to be considered as included in the hereinafter appended claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.

I claim:

1. A multiple key holder, comprising: a plurality of wall forming plates having identical and reversely symmetrical peripheral contours, means securing said plates together and in parallel fixed spaced relation, said spaced plates defining latch key receptive spaces therebetween, first fastener means removably and pivotally securing the enlarged end of a latch key between said spaced plates near one end thereof, a second fastener means remote from said first fastener means, a spring wire member mounted on said second fastener means and havin one end engaged to one of said spaced plates, the other end of said spring wire member extending within the key receptive space between said spaced plates and a portion thereof being doubled, said extended end of said spring wire member engaging the shank of said latch key and biasing it toward the side edges of said spaced plates, said doubled portion of said spring wire member substantially occupying the space between said spaced plates to prevent said key shank from bypassing said spring wire, and a thumb slide operatively mounted between said spaced plates and exposed at the side edges thereof for holding the shank of said key in biased engagement with the extended end of said spring wire member, said slide having a cam surface facing in the direction ofmovement of said slide when it is moved to key latching position, said spring wire member being effective to eject said key from said spac'eupon the disengagement of said thumbslide therewith, and a thumb receptive cutout formed in said plates for exposing said key as disposed inunbiased engagement with said spring wire member, said cutout enabling the pivotal movement of said key shank into biased engagement with said spring wire memher and engaged relation under said thumb slide.

2. A multiple key holder, comprising: a plurality of wall forming plates having identical and reversely symmetrical peripheral contours, means securing said plates together and in parallel fixed spaced relation, said spaced plates defining latch key receptive spaces therebetween, first fastener means removably and pivotally securing the enlarged end of latch keys between said spaced plates near the ends thereof, second fastener means remote from said first fastener means, spring wire members on said second fastening means and each having one end eng'aged to said spaced plates, the other ends of said spring wire members extending within the key receptive spaces between said spaced plates, said other ends of said spring wire members engaging the shanks of said latch keys and biasing them toward the side edges of said spaced platen, guide slots formed in certain of said spaced plates near the side edges thereof and obscured by certain other of the spaced plates, and thumb slides operatively engaged with said guide slots and exposed at the side edges of said plates, said thumb slides having cam surfaces facing in the direction of movement of said slides when they are moved to key latching position, said slidesbeing' operative between positions engaging said key shanks in biased relation with said spring wires and in disengaged relation thereto for the spring wire ejection thereof from said key receptive spaces.

References Cited in the file of this patent Stow 

